A ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE , A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF MARY NEELY When Lincoln left Mrs , Spears she watched his retreating form for a few minutes and turned to the writer and said : He is a very smart young man and I would not be surprised if he would be president of the United States some day . Many years after this , the writer was telling Mr Lincoln in the presence of his brother-in-law and a few others , of the remarks on the occasion . of his last visit . He sat for a moment in silent contemplation then remarked that she was a prety good guesser . That was while he was a candidate . He also said that she was the most remarkable woman he had ever seen . Mrs . Spears was very methodical in her habits . She abhored the use of calomel and quinine , contending that they were not only useless but injurious . Mrs . Spears was a member of the Baptist church for nearly 75 years ; her deportment was always that of a Christian . While chari table to others she was firm in the right ; as she un...

AccoBDiNSto the surveys of an agent of the British government , all that portion of Forty-Mile creek in Alaska where gold has heon discovered belongs to the United States . ¦ IT was reported from Berlin , on the 26 th , that Dr . Behring , of Leipsic , had discovered an anti-eholera serum , and that a public demonstration of its properties would be made at an early day . ITiitE ENGINE NO . 2 , with two nien , plunged into the river through the drawbridge at the foot of Seneca etreet , Cleveland , 0 ., on the morning of the 25 th . The horses were drowned , hut the men were rescued . FAILURES for the United States foi the week ended on the 24 th , as reported by R . O . Dun &amp;amp; Co ., were 373 , against 303 for the corresponding week last year . For Canada the failures were 01 , against 59 last year . THE London Standard , on the 23 d , announced the death of Prince Henry of Battcnburg , the husband of Princess Beatrice , who accompanied the expedition against the Ashantees ...

PERSONAL AND GENERAL AT the mouth of Fishing creek , which empties into tho Ohio river at New Matihasville , W . Va ., on the 23 d , M . B . PotflPand two assistants east a seine , and upon withdrawing it found tho most remarkable catch of fish on record . There were in the seine 3 , 700 fish , of which all but about 300 were large ; enough to bo marketable . Mils CLARA BAHTOX and her staff members of the National Red Cross societaJJB &amp;amp; iled , on the 22 d , on the steumshhfe . lfcw York . Those who accompa * L » i , Mlss Barton were Dr . J . B . Ili ^ HT , field cgent ; Miss . Lucy ( jy ^^^ L ^ nogxjmJtouf ^ lJty . pcwritcr ; 5 W | BP 9 Son , mtef ^ refer ii ^ ul linguist , antf xTcorge II . Pullman , secretary to Miss Barton . AT the closing session of their convention in Chicago , on the 23 d , the National Association of Manufacturers of the United States passed a resolu tion , among others , asking the establishment by the government of a department of manufactures u...

. - , .. . 1 , ILLINOIS STATE NEWa Died . .... _ . James Martin , an early settler of Bureau county , and for many years . a grain dealer at Maiden , aged 70 . He died in Oklahoma . - Mrs . Keziah Uadgett , One of the oldest residents of Charleston . She had just received 81 , 000 back pension dues on account of her husband , a Mexican war veteran . Steven Mills Smith , one of the oldest , wealthiest and best-known merchants of Pana , at the age of 74 . Mrs . Rhoda Blanchard Stearns , aged 84 , at the residence of her daughter , Mrs . Dr . L . B . Farrar , at Paxton . • Frederick Foreman , aged 87 , at Metropolis . He was tho father-in-law of MayOr Quante and Judge J . C . Courtney . Judge W . II . Boyer , aged 45 , one of the best-known attorneys in southern Illinois , at his home in Cairo , after a weeks illness , with measles . Interment at Ilarrisburg , the old home of the deceased . Geo . L . Burruss , ono of the old settlers of Greene county , at his home , Locust Lawn , aged ...

LATF . NEWS ITEMS . la the senate , on the 27 th , tho chaplain , in li is opening prayer , made an impassioned appeal in behalf of the people of Armenia . The senators from the new state of Utah appeared and ; took their seats , Senator Cannon drawing the long term . The house bond bill with the senate free coinage substitute was taken up as unfinished business In the house the senate concurrent resolution demanding a cessation of inhuman outrages against the helpless Armenians was discussed for four hours and passed . Tho dip- 1 lomatic and consular bill for the coming fiscal year was reported from committee , j ON the 27 th Acting Secretary of , the Treasury Wike instructed col-j lectors of customs to look out for the steamer . 1 . W . Hawkins , alleged td have left New York on a filibustering expedition to Cuba . Senor de LomcJ the . Spanish minister , affirmed thai Galixto Uarcia was aboard the steam er , with arms , ammunition and men , and that the steamer would take onl more...

THE PRIZE ORATION BY EDEN E . REXFORD , The faculty of Brnndon academy had offered a prize for the best oration to be delivered at the coming commencement by any member of ^ he graduating class . This prize was to be a scholarship * in one of the best colleges in ( he country . John Darrylls heart gave a great thrill when the . announcement was mnde regarding the nature of the prize to be given . If he could only gain it ! He -was a poor boy . It had been hard work for him lib complete the academy course . But by doing whatever he found-to do , outside * of school hours , and patient , persistent study , he had succeeded in not only , keeping up with his class , but in practically leading itHe was looked upon as the member of the graduating class who was most likely to carry off the honors at the coming commencement . His heart was set upon obtaining a thorough education , but it seemed probable that his school days must end with the completion of the academy course . But when the p...

A WOMAN PIOMBR , The Extraordinary Career of Mrs , J . P . Hadley . . Owner and Manager of a Splendid Pralrii Farm-Wonderful Grit and Endurance . From the Free Prea , Streator , III . On a splendid farm at Blackstone , iotb &amp;lt; very heart of the great , rich and prosperous prairies of Northern Illinois , - lives Mrs . J . P . Hadley , She owns and personally directs the affairs of her farm , which is as rich and productive as the most ambitious could desire ; • She is now sixty-five years old and was afflicted with bleeding of the lungs for fortyfive years . During that , time she was a great sufferer , she was weak , tired and run , down , and in consequence existence , even , was a burden . There was no pleasure in life for her . During all these years , she said to the writer , I had received treatment from many very successful and eminent physicians They could do nothing for me . I continued to grow worse , year by ycar , until lost spring when I was so . bad that I cou...

MUSIC AND THE STAGE . The old Ccntial Congregational church in Providence , R . I ., is being made into a theater . Miss Sibyl Sanderson s ambition is to become a singer . At the Paris grand opera recently she tried tho part of fiilda in Rigoletto . Canon Miiller of Fulda , has arranged the old Saxon epic Holland , describing the life of Christ , as a mystery play and set it to music . Herr Steiner , of Vienna , offers a prize of $ 600 for Ihe beet one-act opera and one of $ 200 for the best libretto , open 1 o musicians of all nations . Ilka von Palmay , the celebrated Hungarian soubrette , will play apart written in broken English , in Gilbert &amp;amp; Sullivan s new opera , which is to be brought out in London . Zola s Messidor , the opera libretto for which M . Bruneau has composed the music , is original , and not taken from any of his novels . It has nothing in common with La Terre , - as was rumored .

STRANGE AND STARTLING A baby weighing exactly one pound vyais born in San Francisco last Christmas day . Olympia , Wash ., has a well with a bottom that is gradually rising to the surface of the earth . Die , and I will do tho rest , is the advertisement of a Chesaning , Mich ., funeral director . A codfish weighing 5 G pounds was brought into Portland , Me ., a few days ago , tHie largest codfish seen there in many years . • A talking canary has been for a year in the possession of a well-known resident of Rockland , Me . It sings articulate sentences so clearly that anybody can recognize the words . It is said that every man , woman and child who lives at Point San Pedro , Cal ., is a bleached blonde . This peculiar condition of affairs is due to the chemicals used in the powder factory at that place .

BOOKS AND WRITERS Devil occupies 17 % columns m the new installment of Dr . Murray s New English Dictionary . The Boston public library has secured the manuscript of one of Lope De Vega s 2 , 000 plays . It is 264 years old . Pierre Loti is writing a romance called Eamondcho , about smugglers on the Basque frontiers , Jt will be ready n ^ t su mmer . £ s * Y $ « i 5 dogi , j » t ») and . other aniinalp carried Jong distances on ears , an )! steamers , sometimes confined in ha | s . and baskets , can , without asking any ; questions , find their way home , and birds travelling thousands of miles ; coaj ebaok year after year to the same npsjiSi and carrier • pigeons to their dovecotes , It ts pretty sure that they ktiiw some things to a knowledge of wjrloh no human being has yet atto | ned . There Is a vast field of animal intelligence to bo studied , and the m $ re we study . the more we shall -be filled with wonder and admiration . ¦ : f ¦ •— — / HUBBAH FOB PENHSYLVANIA . JThe terme...